Hungary has announced that it will block an EU military aid package for Ukraine, labelling the country as “hostile” after a plan to blow up an oil pipeline leaked to the Washington Post last week. Russia’s Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Hungary, passes through the Ukraine. Hungarian officials have expressed their fury at the Ukrainian threat, decrying the country as being “hostile.”
Kyiv has also blacklisted Hungarian bank OTP as a sponsor of Russia’s invasion, causing further anger in Budapest. Senior officials in the Hungarian government say that they are blocking EU attempts to send more weapons and ammo to Ukraine in retaliation for this blacklisting. OTP, the largest bank in Hungary, has been accused of continuing to operate in Russia and providing financial services to Russian companies, though the bank has stated that it operates in compliance with Western sanctions.
Hungary’s threat of blocking further aid to Ukraine is an attack on its sovereignty, as the energy supply is a matter of sovereignty. EU diplomats have argued that the feud comes at a critical time of the conflict, as Ukraine is on the eve of a large offensive to push back the Russian aggression. An official has attempted to downplay the impact of the move, saying the deliveries of European weapons would remain constant and the details of who is paying for the aid are likely to change.
CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE NEWS
Ukraine Threatens to Destroy Pipeline to Hungary
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